Pseudocode

What Does Pseudocode Mean?

Pseudocode is an informal program description that does not contain code syntax or underlying technology considerations. Pseudocode summarizes a program’s steps (or flow) but excludes underlying details.

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Techopedia Explains Pseudocode

To be pseudo is to be fake. In other words, something that is pseudo is pretending that to be something it's not. Given this, the term pseudocode makes sense – it isn't code, but it is the starting point to what the code should look like.

System designers write pseudocode to ensure that programmers understand a software project's requirements and align code accordingly. It can be anything from a few scribbles on a piece of paper, to detailed designs using a modeling language.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…